Department of Agriculture opens online system for National Reserve and Young Farmers

The online system for the submission of applications to both the National Reserve and the Young Farmers Scheme in 2015 has been opened by the Department of Agriculture today.

Persons who meet the definition of ‘young farmer’ may apply to both the National Reserve and the Young Farmers Scheme according to the Department of Agriculture and persons who meet the definition of ‘new entrant to farming’ may apply to the National Reserve.

The Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney said the opening of the National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme represents a significant step forward in the transition to the reformed Common Agricultural Policy that will be introduced in 2015 and in the regeneration of Irish agriculture.

National Reserve
The National Reserve will be established by the Department of Agriculture using 3% of the ceiling allocated to the Basic Payment Scheme in 2015 creating a fund of close to €25million.

Successful applicants will receive an allocation of entitlements based on the eligible land declared on their 2015 Basic Payment Scheme application at a value equal to the national average value of entitlements in the year of application.

Successful applicants who already hold entitlements which are below the national average value will receive a top-up whereby the value of those entitlements will be increased to the national average value.

Under EU Regulation the two categories of Young Farmer and New Entrant to farming receive priority access to the National Reserve. Other categories may follow depending on available resources. The closing date for receipt of applications with the Department of Agriculture for the two priority categories under the National Reserve is March 31, 2015.

Young Farmers Scheme
A fund of over €24 million will be available to the Young Farmers Scheme for each of the years 2015 to 2019. The Scheme will be used to provide an additional payment to any person who qualifies as a ‘young farmer’.

It is available to successful applicants for a maximum period of five years. The aim of the Scheme is to assist young farmers in the initial stages of establishing a farming enterprise in their own name. The closing date for receipt of applications under the Young Farmer scheme is May 15, 2015.

The Application Process
All applications to the National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme must be submitted using the online facility made available at its website.

The Department’s National Reserve/Young Farmers Scheme section may be contacted at 0761 064 446 or by email at [email protected]